Life-saving device for submarine vessels.



APPLICATION FILED HAY 27, 1911-.

Patented Aug. 29,1911.

ATTORNEY'.'

DAvin camerale., or LLANELLY,V ENGLAND, AND JonN CHAPPELL, or rrr'rsrpne,

rNNNsYLvA'NIA. v g

LIFE-SAV'ING DEVICE FOR SUBIMARINE VESSELS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, (1) DAVID CHAPPELL and (2)v JOHN CHAPPELL, (1) a subject of the King of Great Britain, (2) a citizen of the United States of America, residing` at 1) VLlanelly and (2) Pittsburg, in the counties of (1) Carmarthen and (2) Allegheny, (1) Wales, England, and (2) Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements 'in Life-Savin Devices for Submarine Vessels, of which t e following. is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing. This invention relates to a .life saving de- Vice for submarine vessels, and the primary object of the invention is to furnish a ves- A' sel, boat 0r other marine craft with a detachable and auxiliary air tight boat that can be released from themain vessel to save the lives of the occupants 'of 'the vessel.

Another object of this invention is to provide a life boat that can be advantageously used in connection with submarine and bat' tle ships, the boat being arranged in the vessel whereby it can be easily and uickly released by the occupants thereof, w en an accident occurs to a submarine boat or when a vessel equipped with an tight` compartment or chamber is sunk.

A further object of this invention is to furnish a marine craft with a life saving boat that .can be easily and quickly release from the marine craft., without the craft being damaged by the in-How of water or 35 other matter.

' With'the above and other objects in view the invention resides in a novel construction, combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will -now be had to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:- l

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of a submarine vessel provided with two life saving boats, Fig. 2 is a similar view show ing the submarine vessel provided with a single vlife saving boat, Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of ,the submarine` vessel provided with the life saving boat, and Fig. 4 isa cross sectional view of the same.

As illustrated in Figsl and 2, the sub- TY1arine vessel 1 can be provided with one or l more life saving boats; 4In Fig. 1 the -life saving boats are arranged fore and aft of the conning tower 2, and in Fig. 2 of the drawing the lifesaving boat is provided with a conning tower. The shell of the Vessel 1 has an oblong opening 3 and the material bordering upon 4the edges of said opening is reinforced, as at 4 and provided with a seat 5 for a resilient gasket o'r packing 6. Formed integral'with the reinforcededges Vof the vopening 3 is a depending casing 7 having. the front and rear walls 8 thereof provided with bearings, 9 having screw,

threaded bores 10.V The bottom 11 of the casing has bearings 12 and a manhole 13, said manhole being normally closed by a trap door 14.

Seated upon the gasket 6 is the top plate or cover 15 of a life saving boat 16. The

' upper edges of this boat are adapted to snugly fit 1n the opening?) and the gasket 6 provides an air tight and waterproof con nection. `The end Walls 17 of the life saving boat are provided with bosses 18A and adjustably mounted in said 'bosses are anchoring screws 19 adapted to engage in the bearings9 and anchor the boat wlthin the casing 7, whereby during' the maneuvering specification of Letters raient. Patented Aug. ,1911. p

vof the vessel 1 said life saving boat cannot become accidentally displaced.

The rear wall of the boat 16'is provided with a rudder frame 20 for a pivoted rudder post 21 and a `rudder 22.` Extending through the rear wall is a propeller shaft 23 having a propeller 24 and said propeller shaft is adapted to be revolved by amotor 25 or other source` of power. 4

Thebottom of the life saving'boat 16 is provided with a manhole 26 normally Vclosed by a trap door 27. Adjacent to the manhole 26 are bosses 28 having releasing screws 29. These screws are adapted to engage the bearings 12 of the casing 7 and elevate the life saving 'boat when the screws 19 are moved :out of engagement with the bearings 9.

.Besides the life saving boat being equipped with propulsion means, the boat can always be equipped for immediate use with such supplies as'. are necessary for the maintenance of life. y When thesubmarine vessel 1 or any other `vessel equipped with the life savin boat is sunken and cannot rise to the sur ace of the water, the occupants of the vessel open 1 wat 1 that thel trap doors 14- and 27 and enter the boat 16. The trap doors 14 and v27 are then closed,the anchoring screwsA 19 unan` chored are moved out of engagement with the bearings 9, and then the releasing screws 29 are rotated to lift the life boat-16 and unseat the same relatively to the gasket 6. vThe water rushing in the o ening 3 immediately fllsthe casing 7 an when the boat 16 is released it ascends to the surface of the water. i y

In order that a fresh supply of air can be obtained by the occupants of the boat 16, the top plate or cover 15 is' rovided with a manhole 30 normally closed y a trap door 31. When the surface of the water is'reached the trap door -can be opened, observations made, Vand the propulsion meansimmedi- 'ately placed in operation toA propel the life saving boattoward shore or a vessel in the vicinity of the accident.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the release of the life saving boat does not allow water to enter the submarinevessel, consequently the vessel will remain intact until raised.' The casing 7 vis therefore an essential element' to the successful use of the life savin boat.

While in the rawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the structural elements thereof are-susceptible to such changes as fa-llwithin the scope of the appended claims. .l

1. In a life savin device'the combination with a vessel having an opening' formed thereof, of a casing suspended from the said casing, al' e boat fitted in the opening of said vessel, anchoring screws 'carried by said life boat and engaging in some of the bearin of said casing, releasing screws carrie by said life boat and engaging the other of said bearings and adapted to raise said life boat, said life boat' and said casing having manholes formed therein, trap doors normally closing said manholes, a, top plate `edges of said o ening, bearings carried by i having the, top thereof closed, anchoring screws carried by said life boat for ret-ain-- ing said life boat in said casing, releasing.

screws carried by said life boat and adapted to elevate' said 'life boat relatively to said casing, said casing, life boat, and the closed top thereof having manholes formed therein, and trap doors normally closing said manholes, substantially as described.

Intestimony whereof we ailix our signa-l tures in the presence of two witnesses. e

' DAVID CHAPPELL.

JOHN CHAPPELL.

Witnesses for David Chappell: l JOHN WALSH,

HENRY TUCKER.

Witnesses for John Chappell:

MAXYH. Snonovrrz, Q C. T. Hoon.- 

